Asteroid

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Asteroids, sometimes called minor planets or planetoids, are small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun, especially in the inner Solar System; they are smaller than planets but larger than meteoroids. The term "asteroid" has historically been applied primarily to bodies in the inner Solar System since the outer Solar System was poorly known when it came into common usage. The distinction between asteroids and comets is made on visual appearance: Comets show a perceptible coma while asteroids do not.

For more information about Asteroid, read the full article at Wikipedia.
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News tagged with asteroid

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Close-up photos of dying star show our sun's fate (w/ Video)

Space & Earth / Astronomy

Dec 15, 2009 | 4.9 / 5 (19) | 4

(PhysOrg.com) -- About 550 light-years from Earth, a star like our Sun is writhing in its death throes. Chi Cygni has swollen in size to become a red giant star so large that it would swallow every planet ...

US launches space-mapping satellite WISE

WISE satellite blasts off on space-map mission

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 14, 2009 | 4.8 / 5 (6) | 4

NASA launched Monday a new breed of satellite called WISE on a mission to orbit Earth and map the skies to find elusive cosmic objects, including potentially dangerous asteroids.

Superior Super Earths

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 30, 2009 | 4.6 / 5 (55) | 15

Super Earths are named for their size, but these planets - which range from about 2 to 10 Earth masses - could be superior to the Earth when it comes to sustaining life. They could also provide an answer to ...